The Bar Scene Teaches Us About Using Social Media The Right Way

The coolest thing about being a community manager is that I get to socialize all day. It’s a big part of my job to create genuine conversation. And it reminds me a lot of starting good conversations at the bar.

Social media is a lot like being out in the bar scene. And being an effective social media user is a lot like being an effective bar crawler. It takes enthusiasm and it takes endurance—and all of us have a off-putting experience that we wish we could forget.

Don’t call me alcoholic. I’m not. I’m just being allegorical. And what better to turn into a metaphor than two of my favorite things? More

Why This Struggling TV Show Has Generation Y Written All Over It

A new chapter of NBC’s Heroes started last night. And while most people were cringing to see what offbeat plot twists the writers could possibly err on this year, I was still sitting on the edge of my seat.

Heroes is my guilty pleasure. Even though the ratings suck and critics are cutting the show zero slack, I’m a sucker for good character development. That’s what keeps me watching week after week.

Consider it my inner Gen-Y enthusiast talking, but Heroes has Generation Y written all over it. More

Kickin’ It Twitter Style: The 10-Step Guide To Tweet-Up Success

I’m impressed by how many ways people can use 140 characters of text. Nothing in social media is as captivating to me as the Twitter phenomenon.

My most recent Twitter obsession? The Tweet Up.

Two weeks ago Brazen Dan put together a killer Tweet Up for Team Brazen and other local Twitterers in the Madison area. The turnout was amazing.

With Twitter’s high-speed approach to consuming information, it’s only a matter of time before Tweet Ups start sprouting up in every major city around the country. More

The One Thing I Would Have Liked To Say While On 20/20

While I love making money, my salary is not why I come into work every day. I love what I do. I’m passionate about being a community manager. And I am passionate about the people I am connecting with every day.

So to me, being transparent about my salary is no problem. Regardless of what that number is now, or in the future, the real value I am getting is from the skill set I’m developing and the journey of self discovery happening along the way.

Transparency is all relative to how good we feel about what we do. So how transparent are you?

This Is What Happens When Good Community Goes Bad

Last week, Penn State (my alma mater) overcame its most difficult football challenge of the season—defeating the Ohio State Buckeyes. The aftermath was boisterous. A celebration for Penn State fans everywhere. But back in State College, PA, boisterous turned into raucous way too quick.

Students flooded the streets. Beaver Canyon, the core of off-campus life, became a sea of blue and white. And when I first watched the footage I thought, “Awesome!” But I changed my mind.

You see, I love Penn State. It’s still a huge part of my life. And when something remarkable happens to that community, I can be as rowdy as they come. But when a community as great as Happy Valley turns on itself—and ends up hurting itself— it’s just way too ugly to ignore. More